1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand-held tools used to pry or break glass and wood and metallic materials, and more particularly, to a tool especially adapted to break into motor vehicles in order to facilitate removal of accident victims.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Often times when motor vehicles undergo accidents, the motor vehicle bodies are bent and damaged so that doors and windows cannot be opened in the normal manner. In such cases, it is necessary for rescue personnel to break into the motor vehicle in order to treat and remove the accident victims.
In order to break into the damaged vehicle, it is often necessary to cut through metal. At other times in order to gain entry in the vehicle, it is necessary or desirable to break glass which is present in the windshield or side windows. Sometimes it is necessary or desirable to both cut metal and break glass.
One often used tool in the prior art for breaking into motor vehicles is the common axe. Although in some ways effective, there is often a very undesirable side effect that accompanies the use of an axe on window glass; and that is that the glass will shatter and spray over the victim and even over a rescue worker who may have already gotten inside the vehicle to tend to the victim. It would be desirable, therefore, if a tool were provided that reduces the amount of glass that may fall upon a victim and/or rescue worker when a glass window is broken.
Moreover, a damaged motor vehicle may present a variety of challenges to a person trying to gain entry into the damaged vehicle. Not only may it be necessary for glass to be broken, but it may also be necessary to pry apart vehicle parts. Cutting by swinging an axe blade may be carried out. At other times, the rescuer may prefer to make a small hole, as opposed to using an axe blade, for beginning a sawing operation. At still other times, a rescuer may prefer to use a blunt tool for, in essence, hammering.
In an emergency rescue situation, it would be difficult and very burdensome for a rescue worker to bring along an assemblage of separate tools for cutting, sawing, piercing, prying, and hammering. Being burdened with a plurality of tools to accomplish these separate functions could slow the rescuer down and undesirably tire the rescuer out. It would also be very inconvenient for a rescuer to place one tool down and pick up another tool in rapid succession at a rescue site. In this respect, it would be desirable if a rescuer had a single tool that could be used to carry out the plurality of functions such as cutting, sawing, piercing, prying, and hammering.
The prior art seems to be deficient in disclosing a single tool that would provide a rescuer with the plurality of functions mentioned above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,834 of Holloway discloses a combined pry bar and nail puller, but this tool does not provide components to be used for cutting, sawing, piercing, or hammering. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,945 of Hearn et al, there is a disclosure of a pry bar wedge member, but neither does this tool provide elements to carry out the functions of cutting, sawing, piercing, or hammering.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,440 of Scott discloses a combination hood support, jack crank, lug wrench, and wheel cover apparatus. However, this combination tool does not provide means for cutting, sawing, piercing, or hammering as would be desirable for a rescue worker. U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,033 of Fosberg discloses a forcible entry tool which includes an elongate pry bar having at one end a cutting section which includes a pivoted gripping block and a cutting blade. The device disclosed in this patent is not designed for sawing, piercing, and hammering.
The following design patents disclose pry bars: U.S. Pat. No. Des. 277,359 of Schiller; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 301,301 of Buckley. Neither of these designs discloses a tool that can perform all of the functions of cutting, sawing, piercing, prying, and hammering that may be necessary in a rescue operation.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use hand tools for cutting and prying, the provision of a simple and cost effective device is not contemplated which can perform all of the operations of cutting, sawing, piercing, prying, and hammering in a single tool. The foregoing disadvantages are overcome by the unique multipurpose tool of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.